Gryphon Mephisto Stereo

[Thieliste]

Can some of you give me a good description of the Mephisto sound, is it still up there compared to some more recent SS SOTA amps ?
What is the power consumption and how does the amp age within a decade or more, any issues to be aware of about this amp ?
I have only heard the Antileon Evo and Diablo 300 but people say the the Mephisto is more transparent, fast and still warm at the same time.
Cheers.

 

[LL21]

Hi Thieliste,

Well...i am now listening to a Gryphon Mephisto at home which I acquired 2nd hand over the holidays (totally unexpectedly). Thanks to a member here in fact, who knew the owner and kindly made an introduction.

I have listened in my system or a very similar systems in-store (where i have been going for over 10 years) to the following amps:


- Naim Statement
- D'Agostino Momentum Monos/Stereo
- Constellation Centaur Monos
- MBL Reference Monos
- Dartzeel 108 amp
- Soulution 510
- Gryphon Antileon Original
- Gryphon Colosseum
- Boulder 2060
- Krell Evo Ones
- Krell FPB600

I have also heard but not in systems I know well Tidal Reference Monos, Electrocompaniet Nemo and a few others.

Personally, i have my biases and preferences which lean towards the Gryphon voice which I describe very much in the SOTA quality today (providing you look at the above as SOTA today). (I have not heard these newer amps which have received remarkable acclaim: Vitus Masterpience Reference, Boulder 3050, 3060, new D'Agostino Relentless, CH Precision M monos...and no doubt there are others.)

Overall, the voice has some hallmarks i admire:
- Density/Purity of tone and note: when a single violin soars, you really feel, hear deep into the note and it is truly sonorous into the 'meat' of the note.
- Tremendously powerful in a way that is entirely effortless: large scale orchestral to solo voices both seem effortless, unimpeded by dynamic scale, range or peak...and it enables even soaring crashing crescendos to be organic rather than just a stressed extreme of a passage
- Incredibly easy way with LOTS of detail. I now have explored many passages of words in choral music which the Mephisto is allowing me to hear without thinking about it...which i strained to understand with the Colosseum let alone some of the above list
- Bass. Everyone talks about Gryphon bass...earthquake, foundational...but super fast reflexes. I was surprised about how well it handles electronic music even in comparison with the Colosseum. That combination is FUN...to get a punch in the chest, while also being able to hear that bass note decay with the last bit of organic-like detail.
- Full extension incl treble purity. The treble is where the last 15 years have been great at Gryphon. With the birth of the Colosseum, Gyphon's traditionally slightly dark character (which i never minded) became quite illuminated in the treble and high treble but in a way that felt entirely pure...cannot speak with SETs which are renowned for purity...but certainly pure to my ears and in comparison to the above
- Ability to really set a realistic soundstage: this is a funny one...until an amp so powerful comes along, the boundaries of the jazz club always seem to come in a bit or collapse slightly. With the Gryphon they not only are very solid boundaries, but they dont waver. That ability to hold the boundary effortlessly creates a lifelike sense of soundstage and realism that i really missed when i had a loaner in recently (an extremely good amp...60 watt class A Sugden) while i had my old Colosseum being demo'd for sale...and before the Mephisto came in.

Hope that helps.

 

[LL21]

To answer your other 2 questions:

1. It consumes around 700 watts or so.
2. When the gents who kindly came to drop it off were setting it up...i asked one of them (an audio tech with probably 30+ years experience) about his views on the Gryphon in terms of reliability, etc...and he said he considers Gryphon one of THE most reliable and well-built brands in the industry. He said he had no worries whatsoever of a Gryphon running effortlessly for more than 15 years and knew amps running much longer than that. (Note: he did not sell this unit to me...but only did me the favor of installing it and is helping with sale of my old Gryphon Colosseum.)

 

[Lagonda]

Congratulations, you have wanted them a long time !
How warm do they get after a couple of hours of operation ?

 

[Ron Resnick]

WOW! CONGRATULATIONS, Lloyd! I am very happy for you! I know you have been wanting to make that upgrade for a long time!

 

[bonzo75]

Wow congrats. You are almost there. Arrakis the next Xmas

 

[Vienna]

Congratulations again Lloyd, I had audioned too many amplifiers including Niagra towers, CH precision, Burmester, Pass Labs (used to own them), Boulder 2060, Gryphon Antileon Evo, Gryphon Diablo 300 among others, none of them compares to my Mephisto Stereo.
It’s now three weeks in my home and still can’t can’t believe the sound !
Enjoy this fine piece of sound engineering in good health!

 

[Lagonda]

WOW! CONGRATULATIONS, Lloyd! I am very happy for you! I know you have been wanting to make that upgrade for a long time!

Ron, where these the amps you heard your speakers with in Denmark ?

 

[LL21]

Congratulations again Lloyd, I had audioned too many amplifiers including Niagra towers, CH precision, Burmester, Pass Labs (used to own them), Boulder 2060, Gryphon Antileon Evo, Gryphon Diablo 300 among others, none of them compares to my Mephisto Stereo.
It’s now three weeks in my home and still can’t can’t believe the sound !
Enjoy this fine piece of sound engineering in good health!

Congrats! How were the Antileon Evos? I have never heard them before but did own the original Antileon.

What did you think of CH Precision...were they the M1 monos? Thanks for any insights.

 

[LL21]

WOW! CONGRATULATIONS, Lloyd! I am very happy for you! I know you have been wanting to make that upgrade for a long time!

Wow congrats. You are almost there. Arrakis the next Xmas

Thanks! Yes, it has been quite a long time the Mephisto has on my list as a long-term buy...along with TA Opus cables, CJ GAT (then GAT 2), Tripoint/Entreq. And yes, along with the Arrakis...

 

[Vienna]

Congrats! How were the Antileon Evos? I have never heard them before but did own the original Antileon.

What did you think of CH Precision...were they the M1 monos? Thanks for any insights.

It was the M1 Stereo with Kaiser Speakers, the listening experience didn’t even come close to Mephisto, not involving at all, however the preamplifier was very good. The stereo version was sterile and detailed but it was missing the richness and the organic sound of Mephisto. I am talking of pretty obvious differences audible from the first moment.

The Antileon Evo was good and I could easily buy it, but Mephisto is more accurate, sweet, rich and organic while you feel that it’s power reserves are endless.

 

[Ron Resnick]

LL21, someday maybe I will be able to prevail upon Philip O'Hanlon to bring up a Gryphon amplifier to try on the Pendragons. I would be curious . . .

 

[JackD201]

You should Ron

 

[bonzo75]

You should Ron

I think somewhere I have a list of things Ron should do

 

[Ron Resnick]

I, too, think you have a list for me.

 

[trueblue]

LL21, someday maybe I will be able to prevail upon Philip O'Hanlon to bring up a Gryphon amplifier to try on the Pendragons. I would be curious . . .

Or perhaps the Colloseum...

 

[Thieliste]

It was the M1 Stereo with Kaiser Speakers, the listening experience didn’t even come close to Mephisto, not involving at all, however the preamplifier was very good. The stereo version was sterile and detailed but it was missing the richness and the organic sound of Mephisto. I am talking of pretty obvious differences audible from the first moment.

The Antileon Evo was good and I could easily buy it, but Mephisto is more accurate, sweet, rich and organic while you feel that it’s power reserves are endless.

Vienna do you think the Pandora is still the best preamp for the Mephisto stereo or would CH Precision L1 be even better ?
Cheers.

 

[LL21]

You should Ron

Agree, Ron. That said, it is hard to say anything but superlatives about your Siegfried IIs, and you are very clear in your mind about what you want from your system. (I respect your convictions...you explore thoroughly and then do not waiver once the decision is made. Forget audio, most people do not do that generally in life.)

So if you do bring the Gryphon (which along with the VTLs are also most often used with Andy Payor's speakers), it will be interesting to hear how YOU compare them. Very different approaches to engineering (SS v Tubes)...but each also has had very firm and consistent conviction over 30+ years in the business.

My two cents from when I heard the Rockport Arrakis with the big Siegfried IIs (2 sets of monos)...i could easily have imagined the Gryphon working perfectly in their place and would not have experienced any changes in tonality or power...and i certainly sense that 'certain' other qualities of the sound would likely have been 'the same'...not based on any real experience other than in the character of what i was hearing. It had many similarities to what i hear at home, though obviously it was at a different scale, level.

My query specifically would be if you hear anything in the treble or attack or other areas from the nature of SS amplification vs the VTL tubes that triggers your ear (which obviously does not trigger mine).

 

[gshelley]

Lloyd,
Congratulations on the Gryphon Mephisto. Always enjoy your commentary and happy you’re able to make the transition. Makes me want Mephisto(s) to replace my Lamm’s!

 

[LL21]

Thank you! I genuinely enjoy reading your signature block!!! I know [something] of your system...certainly the XLFs which i have spent serious time with over at least a dozen times or more, the ARC Ref 10, the Continuum (though i am not an analog guy) and your DCS Scarlatti stack. (Never heard the Gotham but can only imagine!)

It is actually the Lamm's (of any kind) that I have NEVER heard (nor even seen). I would love to hear them and compare them with the Mephistos. Have you ever heard Gryphons?